MGRADES
Week 3 Tri-Council Policy Statement:
Ethical Conduct for Research Involving
Humans (TCPS 2) UPDATED ACTUAL
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
What is the participant perspective? - CORRECT ANSWER - Circumstances of the people
they will be approaching to become participants
What are some questions to ask about the participants of the project? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Is there a power relationship between the researcher and the participants (e.g.
doctor/patient, teacher/student, supervisor/assistant)?
Are there any cultural norms or practices that need to be factored into the recruitment, consent,
or debriefing process?
What are the economic circumstances of the prospective participants?
Could there be any social repercussions of participation in this project?
How can the privacy and confidentiality of participants be protected?
What are the 3 federal research agencies responsible for TCPS 2? - CORRECT
ANSWER - The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); the Natural Sciences and
Engineering Research Council (NSERC); and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council (SSHRC)
What is the respect for persons principle? - CORRECT ANSWER - recognizes the
intrinsic value of human beings and the respect and consideration that they are due. The essence
of this principle is that it is unacceptable to treat individuals solely as means (mere objects or
things) to an end (a research goal). The welfare and integrity of the participant must take priority
over all else in human research.
Respect for Persons includes:
individuals or groups directly involved in research as participants
,MGRADES
individuals or groups involved in research through the use of their data or biological materials
How to apply the principle of respect for persons? - CORRECT ANSWER - Consider
participant autonomy in research design
Consider factors that can diminish participant autonomy
Consider how to respect the dignity of those lacking autonomy
What aspects of welfare should researchers consider? - CORRECT ANSWER - physical,
mental and spiritual health
physical, economic and social circumstances
privacy and the control of personal information
the treatment of human biological materials according to the consent of the donor
the possible affect of the research on the welfare of participants' friends, family, or other groups
How to apply the principle of concert for welfare? - CORRECT ANSWER - Consider
potential impacts on participants' physical and mental health, on their social or economic
circumstances, and on their privacy
Consult any groups that may be affected by the research to assess the risk of negative impacts
such as stigmatization and discrimination
Eliminate and/or minimize risks
Maximize benefits
Provide accurate and accessible information
What is fairness? - CORRECT ANSWER - treating all people with equal respect and
concern for their welfare - it does not necessarily mean treating everyone the same
What is equity? - CORRECT ANSWER - the distribution of the benefits and burdens of
research participation. No segment of the population should be unfairly burdened with the harms
of research. Nor should any individuals or groups be neglected or discriminated against in the
opportunity to benefit from knowledge generated by research
, MGRADES
How to apply the principle of justice? - CORRECT ANSWER - Who are the participants?
Why this group and not others?
Are any participant groups over- or under-represented because of their vulnerable
circumstances?
Are there measures in place to treat people in vulnerable circumstances justly in the context of
the research?
Is there an imbalance of power between participants and researchers?
What has the Stanford Prison Experiment taught us? - CORRECT ANSWER - History has
shown us that without clear guidelines to help researchers identify potential risks of their design
to participants, psychological and/or physical harm can occur.
Canadian researchers are responsible for making sure that their work adheres to the guidnce
provded in TCPS2, this means? - CORRECT ANSWER - Pursuing research interests
without also considering the implications of the research for participants is unethical.
The Texas Vampires incident captures a number of practices that could easily be labeled
unethical. For example, as a way to increase the sample size for the study, individuals were told
that not participating in the research could put them in danger of sudden death. Which core
principle was violated most by this behaviour? - CORRECT ANSWER - Respect for
persons, The use of undue pressure in terms of rewards or scare tactics makes voluntary and
informed consent improbable if not impossible.
Consent without coercion is a cornerstone of the principle of Respect for Persons.
The purpose of the Stanford prison experiment was to understand the development of norms and
the effects of roles, labels, and social expectations in a simulated prison environment. The
simulation became so real, and the guards became so abusive, that half the prisoners were
released early due to severe emotional or cognitive reactions.
What ethical principle could be used to make the strongest case for shutting down the study after
only 6 days rather than the planned two weeks? - CORRECT ANSWER - In the
researcher's words, "After observing our simulated prison for only six days, we could understand
how prisons dehumanize people, turning them into objects and instilling in them feelings of
hopelessness". In essence the simulated Stanford prison study had done this to its volunteers.
Concern for Welfare was the primary reason for terminating the prison experiment.
Week 3 Tri-Council Policy Statement:
Ethical Conduct for Research Involving
Humans (TCPS 2) UPDATED ACTUAL
Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
What is the participant perspective? - CORRECT ANSWER - Circumstances of the people
they will be approaching to become participants
What are some questions to ask about the participants of the project? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Is there a power relationship between the researcher and the participants (e.g.
doctor/patient, teacher/student, supervisor/assistant)?
Are there any cultural norms or practices that need to be factored into the recruitment, consent,
or debriefing process?
What are the economic circumstances of the prospective participants?
Could there be any social repercussions of participation in this project?
How can the privacy and confidentiality of participants be protected?
What are the 3 federal research agencies responsible for TCPS 2? - CORRECT
ANSWER - The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); the Natural Sciences and
Engineering Research Council (NSERC); and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council (SSHRC)
What is the respect for persons principle? - CORRECT ANSWER - recognizes the
intrinsic value of human beings and the respect and consideration that they are due. The essence
of this principle is that it is unacceptable to treat individuals solely as means (mere objects or
things) to an end (a research goal). The welfare and integrity of the participant must take priority
over all else in human research.
Respect for Persons includes:
individuals or groups directly involved in research as participants
,MGRADES
individuals or groups involved in research through the use of their data or biological materials
How to apply the principle of respect for persons? - CORRECT ANSWER - Consider
participant autonomy in research design
Consider factors that can diminish participant autonomy
Consider how to respect the dignity of those lacking autonomy
What aspects of welfare should researchers consider? - CORRECT ANSWER - physical,
mental and spiritual health
physical, economic and social circumstances
privacy and the control of personal information
the treatment of human biological materials according to the consent of the donor
the possible affect of the research on the welfare of participants' friends, family, or other groups
How to apply the principle of concert for welfare? - CORRECT ANSWER - Consider
potential impacts on participants' physical and mental health, on their social or economic
circumstances, and on their privacy
Consult any groups that may be affected by the research to assess the risk of negative impacts
such as stigmatization and discrimination
Eliminate and/or minimize risks
Maximize benefits
Provide accurate and accessible information
What is fairness? - CORRECT ANSWER - treating all people with equal respect and
concern for their welfare - it does not necessarily mean treating everyone the same
What is equity? - CORRECT ANSWER - the distribution of the benefits and burdens of
research participation. No segment of the population should be unfairly burdened with the harms
of research. Nor should any individuals or groups be neglected or discriminated against in the
opportunity to benefit from knowledge generated by research
, MGRADES
How to apply the principle of justice? - CORRECT ANSWER - Who are the participants?
Why this group and not others?
Are any participant groups over- or under-represented because of their vulnerable
circumstances?
Are there measures in place to treat people in vulnerable circumstances justly in the context of
the research?
Is there an imbalance of power between participants and researchers?
What has the Stanford Prison Experiment taught us? - CORRECT ANSWER - History has
shown us that without clear guidelines to help researchers identify potential risks of their design
to participants, psychological and/or physical harm can occur.
Canadian researchers are responsible for making sure that their work adheres to the guidnce
provded in TCPS2, this means? - CORRECT ANSWER - Pursuing research interests
without also considering the implications of the research for participants is unethical.
The Texas Vampires incident captures a number of practices that could easily be labeled
unethical. For example, as a way to increase the sample size for the study, individuals were told
that not participating in the research could put them in danger of sudden death. Which core
principle was violated most by this behaviour? - CORRECT ANSWER - Respect for
persons, The use of undue pressure in terms of rewards or scare tactics makes voluntary and
informed consent improbable if not impossible.
Consent without coercion is a cornerstone of the principle of Respect for Persons.
The purpose of the Stanford prison experiment was to understand the development of norms and
the effects of roles, labels, and social expectations in a simulated prison environment. The
simulation became so real, and the guards became so abusive, that half the prisoners were
released early due to severe emotional or cognitive reactions.
What ethical principle could be used to make the strongest case for shutting down the study after
only 6 days rather than the planned two weeks? - CORRECT ANSWER - In the
researcher's words, "After observing our simulated prison for only six days, we could understand
how prisons dehumanize people, turning them into objects and instilling in them feelings of
hopelessness". In essence the simulated Stanford prison study had done this to its volunteers.
Concern for Welfare was the primary reason for terminating the prison experiment.
